Destiny's Game

Ch. 20 Guilt

Abhimanyu settled himself in the driving seat of his car and started to drive towards his destination: his wife. When he learnt that her father had lung cancer, he felt sympathy for her family. He understood why she must have married him. However, when his father, Sanjay, told him that she had returned the money he gave her as part of their deal, he felt it set in.

Guilt. He felt guilt settle inside of him, and he despised it. Abhimanyu hated the feeling of guilt because it showed him that he was wrong about making judgements about people. It highlighted the stupid and the naive side of him.

He knew he shouldn't have talked to her that way; he shouldn't have treated her that way, but his rage had blinded him, trapping his eyes in a blindfold, leaving him to see nothing but darkness. And now that the blindfold was off, he could see her grief and her pain behind her endearing brown eyes.

Losing a parent was one of the worst things ever, and knowing that you are going to lose one anytime was even worse.

Abhimanyu could feel her pain. Knowing that her father had cancer and not having enough money for his treatment was agonising. Just imagining the emotional roller coaster she must be facing right now made him feel as if he was a pathetic person. Not only was he rude, but also disrespectful and that too on their first day of marriage!

But, now, he was going to be nice to her. Be a friend to her.

He parked his car outside the house and rang the doorbell. The door opened, and he was met with Aryan, Naina's friend, who smiled brightly at him. "Hi, Abhimanyu." Aryan greeted, stretching his hand out for a hand shake.

Abhi grasped it, shaking it firmly with a straight face. Aryan seemed a little awkward with him.

"Um... sorry. I forgot to let you in. " The poor boy said to him when Abhimanyu stood there, waiting for him to welcome him in. Aryan moved to the side as he stepped over the threshold, gazing around the house so if Naina was around.

When he didn't see her, he faced Aryan who was already looking in his direction. "Where is Naina?"

"Naina? She went to the Shiv Mandir with Swetha Aunty."

Abhimanyu frowned. "What about Uncle? Did he go to the temple as well?"

Aryan shook his head. "He is upstairs resting. Do you want something to drink? Tea, perhaps?"

Abhimanyu muttered a 'No, thank you' and sat down on the sofa, waiting for his wife and mother-in-law to arrive.

They sat in absolute silence, Aryan often throwing a glance or two his way. This guy, who was his best friend's husband, was older and richer than him, which made him feel a bit intimidated.

"So, what do you do?" Abhimanyu asked, breaking the silence.

"I work in my grandfather's company. It's a small business that organises functions and parties for people, but at the moment, our business is struggling, and we have been getting fewer functions to organise."

"Do you organise birthday parties as well?"

Aryan nodded. "Yes."

"Can you do a retro themed party? It's my grandmother's 75th birthday in six months, and I was thinking of doing something special for her." Abhimanyu added, hoping to gain his wife's trust by taking help from her best friend.

Aryan pondered upon this for a few seconds. This won't be a bad idea at all as this would gain him more publicity for the business if he organised a Khurrana party. Maybe this would help him get more offers and deals. "Yes, we can do that. When do you want us to do that?"